Reminders to move the clocks back were many when daylight saving time ended a couple of days ago. What few talked about is that we now have one more dark hour in the afternoon with higher risk for pedestrian and bicycle crashes. In Time, we can read “Adding an hour of sunlight in the evening year-round would save the lives of more than 170 US pedestrians annually, according to a 2004 study in Accident Analysis and Prevention.” Since that is not happening anytime soon, we all need to make sure we are visible in traffic, especially when it’s dark.
We often surprise people when we tell them they can significantly increase their nighttime visibility withoutclumsy vests and high-viz colors. If you choose a funflector® safety reflector, you can wear stylish designs ranging in colors from from subtle to bold and still increase visibility up to 500 feet. After hearing several independent stories from people whose friends have been hit by cars in Chicago at night, we decided to add the Chicago flag motif to our collection of funflector® slap wraps, our super reflective slap bracelets that can be worn on ankles and wrists by walkers, runners and bicyclists.
We are excited to announce a funflector® wrap with the popular Chicago flag design! It will be available in the webstore on May 9th.
funflector® reflecive wrap – The Chicago flag carries a lot of symbolism
We can’t imagine any Chicago visitors going back home without having noticed the symbolic two blue stripes and four red stars waiving on flagpoles on every block in the windy city. The top blue stripe symbolizes …
The first web browser I ever used, had no clickable links. Instead the user had to type in the link that was displayed in the text. It was at CERN (where the world wide web was invented) in the early 1990’s and although it wasn’t super practical, we saw the potential and jumped right into it with excitement. Five years later, I found myself working on the 3G Mobile Network standards and had to explain to friends why it would be handy to have internet access on a cell phone. “Can’t people wait until they get home?!?” was a common comment by most, who only saw Internet as entertainment. Fast forward almost 20 years …
Bike shaped safety reflectors, available also for wholesale and bulk orders.
Did you know that you can order in bulk and get quality reflectors significantly cheaper? You can even get reflectors with your logo or slogan! Contact us so we can tell you more! We have just shipped bike shaped reflectors to a school to be used as rewards at a bike derby. Lucky kids! We put some red and blue ones in our web shop as well, in case you just would like a few… In December, we posted about Vienna Elementary School, who bought reflectors as part of a walk-to-school program. They have “Walking Wednesdays” where some parents walk or bike with the kids to get to school safely. The kids are rewarded with tokens to hang on their backpacks and sometimes the token is a funflector® pedestrian reflector. Parents are rewarded with coffee, sponsored by a local coffee shop. Lucky parents! On March 14th, walking/biking kids were rewarded with Shamrock reflectors (Can they get more lucky?) and here is some amazing statistics for that day’s turnout: Half the students walked or biked to school (only 21% of the students are designated walkers). At least 38% of our bus riders walked to school. 340% more students walked or biked to school compared to an average day last school year. 59% more students walked or biked to school than on the best day of last year’s Walk/Bike Challenge Week. Here is a Patch video from last spring (before they had reflectors). What a great community! Congratulations and keep up the hard work! Elisabeth
We love to hang funflector® safety reflectors on our bikes! We have shamrock reflectors to show off our Irish heritage (or just to ask for that extra luck that’s needed when drivers are busy texting), heart reflectors to show the world that we love our bike rides and baseball reflectors for our Cubs fans (we do have some of those around here). We still need bike lights though!
Red rear reflector, which doubles as rear light, and wheel reflectors should be standard on all bikes.
The funflector safety reflectors are on the bike for fun and under the heading “the more the merrier-” every reflector increases the chances of getting home safely at night. However, bikes are normally moving faster than pedestrians, so bicyclists need stronger reflectors than pedestrians. Also, in many states, you need a red rear reflector and bike LIGHTS to be a law abiding bicyclist. The other night, I approached an intersection and a bicyclist was crossing. The spinning wheel reflectors were the first thing we saw of him or her. It’s quite spectacular and hard to miss! And boy, did I use that opportunity to give my kids another lesson on reflectors! So many times, I’ve been surprised while driving by totally dark bicyclists—dark cloths, dark bikes, neither lights nor reflectors. I think I would use lights and reflectors even if they were illegal, just to do everything possible to come home safely.
White front reflector and pedal reflectors should also be standard. A dynamo powers this front light.
Anyway, when we talked with George Garner abut bike helmets at George Garner Cyclery last month, we also used the opportunity to check out his bike lights and other night time safety products, so here is “Advice from a pro, Part 2” : Every bike that leaves the cyclery, has a set of reflectors, which include: – white front facing reflector – red rear facing reflector – wheel reflectors – pedal reflectors, facing both front and back These reflectors are usually hard prismatic reflectors that withstand the elements well. If your bike is missing these, they are easy and inexpensive to replace.
Set of good bike lights from Planet Bike
In addition to reflectors, you need lights, front and rear, when biking in the dark. Which lights to choose depends on where you go and how fast you ride. Is it enough for drivers to see you or do you need lights to light up your path? Most lights use LED’s as they make the battery last for up to 100 hours of run time. Prices range from $35 to $65 for a set of front and back lights that are sufficient for most bicyclists. For the avid off road biker, powerful lights with rechargeable battery systems are available on special order. So, now you are all set with a well fitted helmet, reflectors and lights. Go and check your brakes (seriously!) and you are ready to cruise along into the summer nights. Have a fun and safe ride! Elisabeth
Inspired by the numbers showing how often a helmet can save your life if you have a bike accident, we talked to a pro about how to fit bicycle helmets.
George Garner
George Garner Jr. owns and operates George Garner Cyclery, which his father founded in 1947. By now, the business have grown to three cycleries in Northbrook, Libertyville and Lake Zurich.
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The first web browser I ever used, had no clickable links. Instead the user had to type in the link that was displayed in the text. It was at CERN (where the world wide web was invented) in the early 1990’s and although it wasn’t super practical, we saw the potential and jumped right into it with excitement. Five years later, I found myself working on the 3G Mobile Network standards and had to explain to friends why it would be handy to have internet access on a cell phone. “Can’t people wait until they get home?!?” was a common comment by most, who only saw Internet as entertainment. Fast forward almost 20 years …
